I know it would make the word count obsolete but having an optional in game voice chat would make the game very enjoyable. I use discord to chat in game and allows for great coordination with every type of task.
If we have it we could make it so the volume is greater the closer you are to the person speaking. You could also have a special speech bubble over the character speaking.
Having an option to mute all or individuals might be necessary since there are some people that just prefer not to deal with voice at all or have someone spamming and yelling over the mic.
Personally its very hard to play the game with out voice chat now after getting used to discord.